


Flaws

by orphan_account



Category: DCU
Genre: Clothes On, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Sexual Harrasment, dubcon, older Damian, references to jay/tim, rooftop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-24
Updated: 2014-05-01
Packaged: 2018-01-13 15:33:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1231741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Years in the future. Damian is all grown up, the new Batman, and in something of a relationship with Dick Grayson. Is Jason jealous? Yeah, maybe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title pulled from the "soundtrack" to this fic: Flaws by Bastille.
> 
> Assumes that all-grown up Damian is Batman and Dick Grayson is his Nightwing. Also assumes that Jason and Dick had a relationship prior to this.
> 
> It started out actually as a Dick-Dami fic but uh, my imagination got a little carried away so... I hope this is acceptable.

The Red Hood was making his usual rounds for the evening, and he had to admit, tonight's pay was good. Not that he was in it for the money. He was a non-profit mob boss, after all. But more money meant nicer toys. And he did like his toys.

He was on his way home--or at least, on his way to a safe house; home wasn't really a word he used much anymore--when he ran across something that piqued his interest..

These days, with Bruce retired, it was the little brat--all grown up now--who wore the cowl. And he had to admit, Damian was just as ruthless a Batman as Bruce ever was. But he had a temper that Jason loved to exploit, and his favorite way to set that bomb off was by playing with the not-so-little monster's favorite partner.

So when he ran across Nightwing, all alone on a stakeout, he couldn't help himself. He decided he needed a scenic detour.

"Bit past your bed time, isn't it, Wonder Boy?" Though the smirk on his face was hidden behind his mask, it dripped off of every word from his mouth. And he was surprised--and pleased--to see a shiver run down Dick's spine before he turned around.

"Not in the mood tonight," he answered through gritted teeth and Jason raised his eyebrows.

Dickie was always in the mood for banter and brotherly bonding. But his voice was definitely strained, and the rest of his muscles--clearly visible through the skin-tight uniform. And not just tense, he noticed as his gaze moved from Dick's chest and shoulders down to his groin. There was something inside that suit fighting to get out. Well Jason was more than happy to help with that.

"What's the matter? You look a little hot under the collar." He dropped his voice as he moved closer.

"Don't--" was all Dick got out before Jason placed a firm hand on one hip and closed the distance between them. Even beneath the kevlar, Jason could feel how warm Dick was.

"Run in with some poisonous flora? Not contagious are you?"

"It's not--"

But Dick didn't have to explain as Jason slipped his hand over the curve of Dick's ass, with the intent of pressing a teasing finger between his legs. Unfortunately, he found something else already there.

"Well that's kinky," Jason snorted, torn between laughter and frustration. No wonder Dick was so hot--he had a damn vibrator thrust in his ass and it was on. Of all the things.

Dick yanked away from Jason and muttered, "Not my idea."

"I knew the little bat had you whipped, but I didn't know it was this bad."

"This isn't any of your business."

Jason laughed. "I have a habit of sticking my nose where it doesn't belong."

He reached his hand out to grab Dick's wrist, but Dick ducked out of the way and kicked Jason in the stomach. Usually, Dick was faster than Jason, but Jason knew he had an advantage tonight and he ran with it. He grabbed Dick's ankle and twisted, throwing the man off balance long enough to get an elbow into Dick's spine and knock him to the ground. He pinned him there, one hand firmly on the small of Dick's back and the other tight around the back of his neck.

"Let's see if we can't get you some relief for that itch." He slipped his fingers around the safety catch at the back of Dick's suit, the necessary security protocols familiar to him, as familiar as pulling the trigger on a .44 caliber, but instead of being rewarded with opening Dick's back up to the cool night air, he got himself a nasty shock of electricity that might have knocked him out if he didn't have his own safety measures installed in his uniform. It did give Dick enough leeway to get free and on his feet.

"You changed the security on your suit?" he frowned. He tried not to sound jealous, but he was definitely jealous.

"Too many people knew."

"Way to sound like a first-rate whore." He watched Dick's shoulders tense and knew the insult had struck home, but he didn't feel any need to be sorry. Dick could go home to Damian and the kid would lick all his wounds and put him back together. Dick didn't need Jason for anything these days.

Maybe he was a little bitter.

But he had every right to be. Dick had been the closest thing to a real relationship he'd had ever since he'd come back to Gotham. They teased each other, flirted, fought for real and fought for fun, and on the good nights shared some skin and a bed. That was the most love Jason got from anyone, and he knew from Dick it was real and honest. He never had to question it.

Except after Damian grew up, filled out in the shoulders and put on the cowl, Dick had stuck to him like Damian was his own personal ball and chain. Maybe it was left over childhood fantasies--Jay could understand that--or maybe it was something Damian instigated and Dick couldn't deny. Whatever it was, Dick wasn't open for business anymore. Of any sort.

And it pissed Jason off.

He aimed a fist right and Dick's jaw, anything to put a mark on that perfect face so maybe he could stop thinking about it at night, but Dick was still a bit faster, and a bit more prepared this time.

Dick ducked and instead of countering, simply stepped aside. Jason stumbled when the weight of his blow collided with empty air. He turned around, lips curled back in an invisible but audible snarl and went for a kick aimed at Dick's side that the hero would have to counter or take. No artful maneuvers out of this one.

Dick did as expected and caught Jason's leg, similar to how Jason had caught him earlier, and flipped Jason onto his back. Dick slammed his heel into Jason's helmet so hard, he heard a crack and his mask fell away, exposing all of his anger. So Dick wasn't holding back tonight. Alright, maybe he deserved that. But Jason wasn't done. And now that Dick was giving it all he had, it was time for Jason to play dirty.

He grabbed Dick's ankle and yanked. Dick hit the floor with a grunt but before he could counter, Jason dragged their bodies closer together and squeezed a hand between Dick's legs.

Dick let out a restrained moan and Jason couldn't help but grin. Making Dick talk against his better judgement was one of his favorite pastimes.

He rubbed his palm against the fabric and watched Dick twist and bite down on his lip.

"Jay, don't," he hissed.

Oh, first names. Dick was definitely not on his A-game tonight.

"Why not?" he purred back. "Your security measures never stopped me before."

"He'll murder you for this."

Damian was the last person Jason was concerned about right now. "Let him," was his only answer as held Dick down with both hands and kissed him firmly on the lips. Not slow and passionate, like they used to, but rough and possessive, and a little hurried because Jason was determined to finish up before sunrise.

As he pulled away for air Dick tried another protest, "What about Tim?"

Jason's hands tightened and his face twisted into one of disgust. As if Dick didn't know that what Jason had with Tim was anything less than a sham, a fill-in for the both of them. Jason filling a hole Dick had left and Tim filling a gap Jason assumed was a mixture of leftover feelings for Superboy. But he couldn't say all that to Dick, so he only answered, "Training the new Titans. I'm a free agent tonight."

"Well I'm not."

"Like you don't want this," Jason murmured into Dick's ear. He palmed Dick's crotch one more time. "Like you don't need this."

"Jason--"

And Jason's stomach twisted with pleasure. He hadn't heard his name said so breathlessly, with that perfect hitch. in so long. He rolled his hips against Dick's with a low moan.

"I bet you're under strict orders not to come, am I right?"

Dick nodded--head turned away, eyes shut tight, hands pushed weakly against Jason's chest. Maybe Jason felt a little guilty. Not enough to make him stop.

"But you'll come for me, won't you?"

"Not if this is all you got."

So Jason upped his game. Sure he couldn't get Dick undressed but it didn't mean he was out of options.

He slipped his hand around Dick's ass and squeezed once, then pushed with the heel of his hand between Dick's legs. He felt Dick tense up and knew he'd accomplished his goal of shifting the vibrator around. He grinned and shoved his hand upwards again, harder, sharper.

This time Dick winced and even yelped.

"If you won't let me fuck you, I suppose I'll just have to let this thing do it for me," and he shoved his hand again and again and again, watching Dick gasp and moan and it was easy to imagine he really was fucking Dick--except for the neglect to his own body, but he could deal with that later.

"Jason, wait--" was Dick's final plea before Jason shoved one last time and felt the slack and shudder through Dick's body. He pressed his lips down for a kiss, this one slow and sweet, tasting the last of Dick's moans, and imagining for a brief moment things were like they used to be.

As if they could ever go back.

He pushed his hand against Dick's now boneless crotch. It had been damp before but now it was plain soaked and he smeared all he could through the fabric. He wanted to make it as obvious as he could to Damian. He'd have painted a sign on Dick's chest if he could, letting Damian know exactly what he'd done. In explicit detail. Maybe even some additional details that were untrue.

Halfway through standing, Dick's fist collided with his jaw and knocked him over. Before he could get up from that, he felt Dick's heel slam sharply into his crotch.

Yeah, he deserved that.

But it was worth it. And it would still be worth it tomorrow night, when Damian hunted him down to give him one of the worst beatings of his life. Well, second-worst beating of his life. He didn't exactly expect Damian to bring a crowbar.

No one had a claim on Dick Grayson. And Jason would continue to prove that to his last breath.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dick has to go home to Damian after everything that happened with Jason, and he definitely does not want to talk about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I hope this helps make sense of my headcanon dick-dami relationship. I like it a lot and after writing this hopefully I'll be motivated to write more.
> 
> This chapter isn't explicit. It's pretty tame.
> 
> Also by the time I got to the end of it words were a little blurry so... i hope it makes sense.
> 
> I'm only posting it because I'm afraid if I wait I'll chicken out and not post it.

Dick tried not to wince when he swung his leg around, off the motorbike, but his ass hurt like hell. And unfortunately he noticed the batmobile was already back. He didn't even have time to try and sneak past Damian before he was summoned to the computer.

Dick had never once, in his days as Batman, seen Damian as anything more than a mentee and a partner. Apart from Damian being a child, he was Bruce's son, and dealing with a lot of issues. Of course, since then, only one of those things had changed. But there were other changes that had prompted Dick into a relationship with Damian.

The most obvious one was puberty. Dick had been spending more time in Bludhaven, but all of a sudden, one Christmas, he couldn't help but notice Damian standing next to Bruce, and they were nearly the same height. And Damian's chest had finally filled out into the Batman-shaped shoulders Dick had never been able to fill. And there was actual stubble on that perfectly square jaw--so much like his father's, but with the color of his mother.

And then Bruce had gotten hurt. It wasn't a bad injury, nothing they weren't used to, but Bruce was far older now, and a hairline fracture in the femur took a lot longer to heal than it had in his youth. So Robin had stepped up, donned the cowl, and never taken it off.

But Damian was still Damian--ruthless and reckless--and in his newfound independence constantly butting heads with Bruce and any other partners who tried to work with him. So Dick got called back from Bludhaven, the one person who could smooth things out when it came to Damian, and the one person who'd been able to reign Damian in with a gentle word.

So Batman and Robin became Batman and Nightwing and before Dick knew it combat was kisses and he was willingly giving Damian everything he'd given anyone he loved, and Damian seemed more than happy to take it.

And Damian gave back, of course, though rather surprisingly in all the ways Dick needed. Dick didn't realize how long he'd known Damian, and how intimate their partnership had been. But Damian was every support Dick needed, emotional and physical. Always there and ready in ways other lovers hadn't been before. Sometimes in ways that made Dick think of Barbara, and though that came with a small pang, it didn't hurt nearly as much as it used to.

Then there were other times that Damian reminded Dick of Kori. Like when Damian suggested a small bet: spend one night on patrol, vibrator in, no release allowed, and if Dick could manage it, there'd be a nice reward at the end of the night. Dick had been hoping the reward would be cookies. Or sex. But mostly cookies.

And that reckless streak was what had put Dick in the position he was in now. He mentally sighed as he climbed the stairs--again, trying not to wince as the vibrator shifted with every step, way too far in to be safe--and hoped that maybe Damian would just let him go to bed without a fight.

When he reached the computer, Damian was nearly finished unloading the evening's surveillance footage. He didn't even look at Dick--which honestly just prolonged the anxiety of it all. Of course Damian would intentionally stall. Even if the bet only went until he returned from patrol.

When Damian finally turned to look at him, Dick stretched his arms out and with a small smile said, "Alright. I lose. I'm going to go clean up and head to bed, okay?"

There was a small smile on Damian's face as he surveyed Dick's soaked uniform. He looked like he was about to propose a different plan for the evening (or really, early morning), but it shifted into a frown.

"Grayson. What happened?"

Dick didn't know what had given him away. Maybe his forehead was slightly creased. Maybe his grin was just a bit too casual. Maybe Damian had just known him too well for too long.

He thought about lying, about quipping back with something punny and witty--dick jokes were endless in situations like this--but Damian had a set look on his face and Dick didn't want to stand there, vibrator in his ass, soaked, and half-hard again, any longer than he had to.

"I'm fine," he answered, dropping both his tone and his arms. "I just want to clean up."

"I didn't ask if you were fine."

"Alright, well, I think it's pretty obvious what happened. I jizzed my pants, so can I hit the showers or what?"

Damian looked like he was going to keep pressing. His jaw was set and his eyes were storming, but he finally turned back to the computer. "Fine."

Dick was relieved at how easy that had been. Sure, Damian would press him later, but he'd be a lot more willing to talk when he was washed up and in a pair of dry sweatpants.

Unfortunately he ran into a complication. Jason had shifted the vibrator way too far and Dick wasn't going to be able to get it out on his own. His only option was to ask Damian for help. Which would mean explaining what had happened.

Of course the explanation would've happened eventually. Dick just would have liked to have put it off for as long as possible.

So he finished washing and put on a robe and went back to Damian. He didn't even have to say anything before Damian said with a small smile on the corner of his lips, "I thought you might need help."

"Yeah. That'd be great."

"Medical table."

Dick sighed. Damian was as good with words as he'd always been. And Dick was no poet, but he definitely preferred elegance to efficiency. Maybe that was just one of the things that made the two of them a better pair.

Dick had been a bit nervous Damian would essentially hold him hostage with the vibrator in his ass until he confessed to what happened, but Damian didn't ask about it again. Not even when Dick was finally relaxed flat against the table, boneless as a jellyfish and relishing the cool metal on his hot skink did Damian ask what had happened.

It wasn't until Dick got upstairs and found cookies in the bedroom did it come up again.

"I figured you'd lose the bet," Damian said as he stripped down to his briefs, "so I got you cookies as a consolation prize."

Dick wasn't sure what to say to that, other than to reach for one. They were the M&M kind. Cool.

But Damian grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the bed.

"What happened?"

"Nothing," Dick whined. "Can I have my consolation prize?"

The one thing Dick loved and hated about Damian was how well puberty had been to him. It shouldn't have been a surprise--Dick was familiar with how bulky both Damian's father and grandfather were--but in terms of pure strength Damian could easily hold him down. Dick was faster and more experienced, but especially in a small space like the bedroom, he didn't have much of an advantage.

"Tell me."

"I'm fine," he sighed, as if it solved the problem.

"Dick," Damian said quietly, against his lovers ear, and Dick felt every muscle in his body relax.

Damian didn't call him by his first name often. And Dick would never forget the first time it happened--not the first time it had been used as an insult, but the first time Damian had tenderly and affectionately called him Dick, and it had the exact same effect on him every time.

They'd had a rough fight with Harley and The Joker (one of the last bad ones before age finally started to take its toll). And Dick was somewhere between emotional meltdown and murder when they finally got back home. But all it took was Damian holding him still, gently pressing strong thumbs into tense shoulders, and when Dick had tried to protest, tried to insist he needed to work, all it had taken was a quiet utterance of his first name to still him and let him relax under Damian's hands.

So when Damian used it now, he let out a soft sigh. "I ran into Jason."

That was all the explanation that was needed. He felt Damian's grip tighten and heard his teeth grind against each other, so he tried to calm him down.

"Dami, I'm fine. Really. Jason's always been an ass, and he always will be."

"That doesn't make it acceptable for him to behave like he owns you."

"That's not at all what happened. He's just..." Dick sighed and leaned his head back against Damian's chest. "He's just lonely and jealous and Tim's out of town so he took it out on me. Promise me you're not going to hunt him down."

"I'll do no such thing."

"Just leave him alone. At least until he does something really stupid, like blow up a Wayne Tech building."

Damian let out a soft 'tch' under his breath before releasing his hold on Dick, who promptly reached for a cookie.

"Don't get crumbs in the bed," Damian warned.

"Nah, I'm going downstairs to get some milk. You hungry?"

"Hardly."

Of course not. Damian was downright furious. Dick could see it plain as day--the tension in his shoulders, the tight creases at the edges of his mouth, and the distracted look in his dark eyes. Damian never ate when he was angry, which usually only lead to an angrier, grumpier, and all around more unruly Damian, so Dick made a mental note to be sure they had a hearty breakfast the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be one more chapter after this about Dick and Damian talking about their relationship and there may or may not be smut yet i'm not sure how intimate the conversation's gonna get and if it's gonna end in lovey times or sexy times but it will end in one of the two.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damian confronts Jason and Dick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry no sex. I tried really hard but the more I worked on this chapter the more I realized it needed to be written from Damian's perspective, since the first was Jason then Dick. But I'm not really comfortable with Damian's perspective yet, so I definitely wasn't about to attempt a sex scene with his voice. Ah, well. This chapter makes up for it in cuteness, I promise.

It had taken Damian a few months to learn how to properly use Batman's cape for all it was meant for. And it had taken him a few more months to stop thinking of Batman as someone separate from himself.

But he was Batman now. Just as much as Bruce had been. More than Dick had been. It was his. He owned the cowl. And Damian Wayne was someone else.

Damian Wayne was heir to the Wayne name and fortune. Damian Wayne was the proper, polite son of Bruce Wayne, and no one ever dared mention he was technically a bastard child. His sharp glare made sure of that.

Damian Wayne was also Dick Grayson's lover. That had been strange, for a time, but now it was as simple as breathing. Well--as simple as breathing in a mine shaft with an insufficient air supply, if he wanted to be literal about it. They weren't a perfect pair, not like he'd seen in the films Grayson dragged him to, but they managed. The way a three-legged dog managed.

Damian had eyes for Grayson ever since he hit puberty. And honestly, who didn't? He was charismatic, charming, and chiseled like some sort of classical marble statue--but it was hard to compare him to solid rock when he moved as fluidly as water. And above all that, Dick was unfailingly kind and generous. He always gave of himself to anyone and everyone, in ways you could never take for granted. Of course he wasn't perfect, but Damian easily fell for everything Dick Grayson was and there was no helping it.

He said nothing about that, ever. He still hadn't even told Dick just how long he'd admired ( _loved_ is a strong word) him. When he was still a teenager, he was sure the feelings were purely physical. His concept of romantic love had still been in development, and he'd found the notion rather distasteful. It wasn't until he was nearly twenty, and he watched the way Dick fondled Barbara's hair at the family Christmas party, and the way she relaxed her head into his chest, did he realize that maybe he wanted more than physical satisfaction. That maybe there were emotional connections to Dick Grayson that went deeper than a working partnership or adoration.

Of course, confessing those feelings had been a gut-wrenching quandary for him. On the one hand, ignoring them was becoming increasingly impossible. Being attracted to Dick on only a sexual level was one thing. That, he could deal with on his own easy enough. But once the romantic desires began to blossom it became harder to deal with. He'd had enough stemming of his emotional development as a child that he was woefully short on experience with handling his feelings and he needed to tell Dick about them.

On the other hand, Dick was a valued partner. And Bruce was something of a shared father between them, which made them brothers, at least on paper. A romance would surely hamper their ability to do their job.

With Dick in Bludhaven, he could manage. He could tighten his grip on his heart and ignore what his body asked for. But when Dick moved back home to be his partner, to be his Nightwing, it became impossible.

It had been a usual breakfast. Dick was eating an unhealthy cereal when Damian came in from training for his own breakfast. He toasted his bread and buttered it with only a polite acknowledgement of the other. And when he sat down, before even took a bite of his food, he said very calmly and firmly, "Grayson, I'm attracted to you."

Grayson had paused, spoon halfway to his open mouth, looking a combination of shocked, appalled, and reluctantly pleased.

Damian would have liked to have grabbed Grayson by the front of his shirt, kissed him passionately and lifted him up onto the kitchen counter right then and there. But that wasn't how Grayson did things, and if it was, then maybe Damian wouldn't have felt so strongly about him.

They took it very slow, both taking time to be sure that all the dangers of being in a relationship were worth the rewards. It was a few weeks later that they had what Damian considered an awkward conversation, but he assumed Grayson considered it romantic.

Dick was lying on the couch--or, more accurately, draped over it--and he glanced over at Damian who was just finishing up the last stitch on an unfortunately deep laceration. He refused to let Grayson help with his injuries on principle, and by that time Grayson had learned to simply help with getting things out and putting them away.

"So does this make us exclusive?"

"'This'?" he repeated around the needle in his mouth as he knotted off the biodegradable thread.

"Tonight was the tenth time we've kissed. Are we in a relationship now?"

"I wasn't counting."

"I was."

Damian sterilized the needle and his cut with rubbing alcohol and replaced everything in the medical kit. "I'm not sure a number matters."

Dick slowly pulled his feet around to the floor and walked over to where Damian was sitting. He leaned over and rested his hands on either arm rest, effectively penning Damian into the chair. "Are we dating?"

Damian failed to understand what it meant exactly, or why it was so important. They were both in some sort of relationship deeper than friendship--he was wary to put love on the table yet, at least not romantic love--and it involved physical attraction that had only gone so far as tender touches and kisses. Not by Damian's choice, but by Dick's. He didn't know why labeling it was so important to Dick. He didn't know why it had to be dating or not dating. It wasn't as if they were signing a marriage certificate.

"I am exclusive to you," he finally answered, "and if you want to return that, you may. But if you don't--"

"I want to," Dick answered with a smile full of childish innocence that would've looked foolish on anyone else. Actually five years ago, Damian would've said it looked foolish even on Dick.

Dick leaned forward for a kiss, and Damian obliged, letting his hands linger in places that he'd been hesitant to broach until that moment.

Though he was still young and lacking in experience, Damian had grown up. A lot. And despite their mutual exclusivity, Damian did not think of Grayson as someone he owned. They were partners, who happened to be romantic, who happened to have sex. A lot of sex. A lot of great sex. Where Damian was inexperienced, he made up for it in youthful stamina and creative thinking. And Dick--Dick had enough experience to make up for everything else.

So when he heard what Jason had done, he was furious, but it wasn't about anything to do with him. Grayson had been violated, and he wasn't going to let that stand. Grayson was his partner, his friend, and if he had come home with a black eye and a broken rib instead of soaked kevlar, his reaction would have been the same. He had his partner's back, and even if Batman wasn't about vengeance, Damian Wayne could indulge.

So it was Damian Wayne who showed up at Jason Todd's safehouse, kicking the door down in one swift motion. He felt a twisted satisfaction watching Jason bolt out of bed, half-dressed and fumbling a gun. He fired a shot at the intruder before even realizing who was at his door.

Expectedly, his half-awake aim was terrible, and the bullet lodged itself harmlessly in the wooden door frame. Damian had plenty of time to disarm Jason and pin him against the wall.

"Morning, sunshine," Jason said with a grin far too arrogant for his current predicament.

"It's well past noon," Damian growled and threw Jason down.

Jason let in a sharp breath as his shoulder struck his metal bed frame. "I work late hours. Can't fault me for that." His hand reached for his gun, but Damian pressed his heel into the flesh until he heard the bones crack.

"You will not come near Grayson again."

"Always so direct," Jason grumbled and pushed Damian off of his hand. He scrambled to his feet. "No formalities, no 'Hi how are yous' or even a quip. You're as much a stiff as Brucie ever was."

"I suppose that can be considered a compliment." Damian aimed a kick at Jason's stomach, but Jason was more prepared this time and deflected it with his good hand.

"Boring isn't a compliment." And he aimed an elbow into Damian's sternum. "At least Dick knows how to have a little fun."

Damian grabbed Jason's arm and pulled him in close. "Dick is not yours."

"Not yours either. Though I was expecting you in full battle regalia. Should I be insulted or honored you're here unarmed?"

"If I'm going to catch you off guard, I thought I might as well offer you some advantage," he said with a confident sneer before bringing Jason down into his knee.

Jason gasped for air as his lungs were forcefully emptied and Damian took the opportunity to put his fist against his jaw and crack the bone.

"Fucker," Jason said with a faint slur to his voice.

"If I hear you've laid one hand on Grayson without his consent, I will not hesitate to end you."

"Been there done that. Why not finish me off now?"

Damian could, he knew. But that wasn't how he did things, and he wasn't about to dishonor Dick or his father with such a rash and impulsive action. He settled for dropping Jason to the floor and letting that be his finishing point.

"Coward," Jason snarled after him, but Damian refused to take the bait.

"You know Dick's only with you because it reminds him of Bruce."

The hesitation in his step would've been imperceptible to any normal person, but Damian had felt it, and Jason had noticed it.

"He always had eyes for Bruce and you're nothing but a poor substitute. Second-rate Bruce and a second-rate Batman. I'd bet he's asked you to do it in uniform, huh? Ever slipped up? Ever said--"

Damian wasn't even seeing red. He wasn't seeing much of anything. He wasn't even sure what exactly he did to Jason, or why Jason had been egging him on so much when all Jason managed to get out of it was a punch to his ribcage. He left Jason, however, in far worse condition. But breathing, he was sure, when he walked out.

He arrived home just as he heard Dick get into the shower. He decided to avoid a conversation just yet and went downstairs to the computer. Work was exactly what would take his mind off of what happened.

But he still couldn't focus on work. He kept turning Jason's words over in his head and it pissed him off how much sense they made. Of course Grayson could never get into an intimate relationship with Father. It was far more inappropriate than what transpired between him and Grayson, and what he and Grayson had was risky enough. And he knew he was very much his father's son in build and appearance. He'd even noticed the habits he'd picked up from his father not only on patrol but in every day living. He was definitely his own person, but the similarities were more than just striking. Maybe they were enough that Grayson could use their relationship to fantasize about a different one. It made sense.

So he was still brooding on it when Dick found him.

"There you are. You vanished right after lunch without a word. Come on, you're going to turn into that chair if you sit there too long."

Damian hmphed and opened up a new file, determined to think about something else, anything else.

"Seriously though," Grayson leaned against his chair, in that habitual way he had of invading people's space. "You're worse than Bruce sometimes."

He stiffened impulsively, unaware he'd even let his guard down. Grayson had a phrase for that... What was it? "I like being myself around you"? That sounded right.

"You alright, Dami?"

"Fine," he answered with as little emotion as he could.

"At least get up and spar with me," Grayson whined, in that needy voice that said he was far lonelier than he wanted to admit, and Damian wasn't sure he understood why. Was he upset about something? Looking for validation? They'd laid together last night with sufficient physical contact--cuddled--enough for Grayson to be comforted. Had he missed something? Or was Grayson looking for more reminders of Bruce in him?

He let out a slow, deep breath and said quietly, "Grayson, be honest with me."

Grayson looked displeased and moved to lean against the computer desk. "I always am."

"Is this--Is what we do only because--" he paused, "--is it only because you have desires for my father you never acted on?"

"Oh my God, you went after Jason. I told you not to--"

"Answer the question," Damian snapped.

"Are you only with _me_ because of some unresolved feelings for your father?"

"Don't be ridiculous--"

"Then don't be ridiculous about me," Dick said harshly and got up, headed for the elevator.

Damian followed him, intent on finishing this conversation. "I'm not being ridiculous. It's a reasonable question."

"It really isn't, Damian. I hope you didn't rough Jason up too bad. You know he refuses to go to hospitals."

"Stop changing the subject and give me a direct answer."

"No."

"'No,' what we are has nothing to do with Father? Or 'no' you won't answer?"

They made it all the way to the elevator before Grayson finally turned around to look at him. "Just--no. I can't believe you went after Jason. I told you I didn't--"

"What he did was unacceptable."

"So is just about everything he does. This is why I didn't want you to--you know he's jealous. And he would love nothing more than for us to have a fight and I would go to him for support."

"That's ridiculous."

"I know. So don't let him turn us against each other, alright? Promise me you'll let me deal with Jason from now on. I'm used to him. You're not."

"I've been handling the Red Hood longer than--"

"That's definitely not what I'm talking about and you know it."

Damian was not satisfied with that answer, nor was he pleased when Dick stretched the extra inch to give him a quick kiss on the corner of his mouth.

He followed Dick into the elevator. "This isn't a fight you can smooth over by ignoring," Damian said tersely.

"This isn't even a fight," Dick murmured back with a small smile and wrapped his arms around Damian's neck.

But Damian could see it in the corner of Dick's mouth. Dick was frustrated, maybe as frustrated as he was. And if it was because the answer to his question was 'yes' then they needed to talk about it. "Then why are you employing your usual tactics of evasion and distraction?"

"I suppose I'm not employing them very well," Dick said with a small sigh.

"You're avoiding answering my question because you know I won't like the answer."

"No," Dick sighed. "Because it--It's complicated, and you haven't seemed to grasp the fact yet that I'm complicated, and what we have is complicated, and things are always complicated with me." 

Grayson increased his pace and Damian followed him all the way up to the bedroom before he was finally able to say, "You're not complicated, Grayson." But he remained in the doorway with a frown on his face, letting Dick have the space of the bedroom to himself. "You're complex. People are. Most people." He paused. "Some people."

Dick rolled his eyes. "Look, what Jason said doesn't matter, alright?"

"But you choosing not to explain it does matter."

"Why?"

"Because I asked," Damian snapped. "I asked and you are refusing to answer. You don't want to have this conversation, for whatever reason, but it's important to me." He watched Grayson run his hand through his hair, shoving his bangs out of his face, and Damian noticed briefly his hairline beginning to recede a fraction of an inch.

"You're only asking because Jason put the idea in your head."

"I'm asking because I thought about it, and whether or not Jason meant it or knows anything of its truth, it's a sensible question."

Grayson met his eyes, briefly, then sat down on the bed. He motioned for Damian to come sit with him.

When Damian was angry, he needed space, as if he had to expand everything in him before he was able to calm down. Grayson, however, always wanted to have their fights cuddled up to each other. Fine, he could oblige him this time.

Damian took a seat on the bed and let Dick lean against him.

"It's a complicated answer."

"Use small words."

He watched Dick's mouth twitch in a hesitant smile, but he still didn't move to answer. So Damian waited and let Dick run his hands over Damian's hand, tracing the creases in his skin.

"It's true that I did have some level of attraction to Bruce for a while. And it's true that there are parts of you that remind me of him," Dick finally started. "But--I'm sure Jason made it sound far worse than that. Whatever you're thinking, that's not it. I would never ever have done this with you if it wasn't about you. Does that make sense?"

"Perfectly." And he ran his free hand along Dick's shoulder in additional affirmation, since he knew Dick needed both physical and verbal displays of affection in order to loved, accepted, and forgiven. Dick's whole body relaxed against him and Dick turned his head for a kiss.

Damian obliged.


End file.
